Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, May 11, 2017

       “Leave us alone,” said one Discovery Harbour resident concerned about a possible resort there. She said such a development is a “all about money,” without considering residents’ wishes.
     Another resident, a teacher at Ka`u Learning Academy, told commissioners that a resort would provide much needed jobs. She said that many of her students’ parents must travel long distances to work, reducing family time at home. She also said that students express concern about having to leave Ka`u to make a living in the future.
     “Having a resort there is not going to take away from the beauty of Ka`u,” another resident said. She said there is a lack of accommodations here and that a resort would provide visitors with a reason to stay in Ka`u longer.
     Kama`oa Road resident Jim Simpson said, “Ka`u doesn’t need to change anymore. We don’t want that stuff.” He stressed that “it is important we keep it as it is.”
     Regarding the CDP’s call to establish a one-quarter mile development setback from the shoreline, Carlsmith Ball lawyer Katherine Carson said, “Policy 28 is unconstitutional.” She said it is in conflict with Hawai`i County’s General Plan, when CDPs should be in agreement with it. She urged the commission to “carefully consider” the policy to “avoid conflict.”
Regarding the proposed setback, CDP Steering Committee member Michelle Galimba told commissioners, “We can no longer take for granted that Ka`u will be protected” without help. She said the committee considered even larger distances but settled on one-quarter mile.
Two more testifiers focused on keiki. In Ka`u, “kids can still be kids,” not the relative safety in the district. Another, who came to Ka`u from Colorado, said it is “important that this place stays the way it is for kids.”